Programmed Response
by everyday-dream
Summary: After the Cell Saga, everyone's been wished back, but that doesn't automatically mean a happy ending. Can Kuririn gather the courage to tell Juuhachigou how he feels? And if so, can the two ever work out the problems between them? *Chapter 3 coming soon!*
1. Part One

Disclaimer: I dun own DBZ. Trust me, if I did, there'd be a lot of stuff that was different. A lot of Buruma/Vegeta and Kuririn/Juuhachigou romance, to start, and some more girl fighters. You know, stuff that would have Akira Toriyama rolling in his grave and screaming "She's turning my work into a shoujo manga! AAIIIIEE!!"   
Chibi-Lena: Is he even dead yet?   
Uhh.....anyway, on with the story...^^;; 

Warnings: Angst. Sap. Japanese names and phrases. A teeny tiny bit of language(mostly in Japanese =P). Possibly out-of-place humor. Kuririn and Buruma's addiction to coffee. Internal conflict. You know, the usual.   
(For help with the Japanese names and phrases, go to http://www.greenepa.net/~lena/japguide.html.) 

Programmed Response

Part One 

I sit alone on a rocky outcrop on a cliff, staring at the sea. I don't know what to do with myself. My purpose is lost, the battle with Cell over. My eyes skim over the cliff face for the _x_th time. My gaze lands on some sort of plant; my sensors define it for me, but I don't pay attention. I draw my knees up to my chest and begin to sigh, but cut myself short. _Stop it,_ I tell myself. _You are Jinzoningen. You don't feel. Feeling is for humans. Humans aren't logical . You're supposed to be logical._   
Suddenly I am aware of someone -or something- behind me. I could turn around, define the life form, and kill it before it could blink, but I'm not in the mood.   
"Who's there?" I say disinterestedly, only partially playing my usual role of the aloof, omnipotent cyborg. For a moment, there is no answer. Feeling almost intrigued, I turn around. Standing alone behind me is a short human male in a blue and orange gi. His eyes are a deep black and he has six circular marks in two columns on his bald head. He is holding a small cloth bag filled with something I cannot identify, yet he looks familiar somehow.   
"Well?" I ask, getting ready to turn back around and lose myself in my thoughts again after disposing of him. Surprisingly, he meets my gaze.   
"You can call me Kuririn," he says. The name doesn't ring a bell at first, but I feel a flash of data recall approaching. I think I've heard this name before.   
"What do you want?" I demand crossly. He's only human, after all. He probably wanted to fight me or some utterly useless thing like that. Typical human behavior. I sigh, waiting for the battle challenge.   
"C-can I...sit down? Beside you?" 

~*~

"C-can I...sit down? Beside you?" My entire body is shaking as I say these words.   
She doesn't answer right away. For a brief moment I close my eyes, expecting a cold stare and some cyborg version of "Get lost, shorty." It's a familiar phrase; I've only heard it two or three hundred times from two or three hundred girls. When I open my eyelids, she's staring at me in an incredulous manner, but I can tell she's not being cruel by doing so. She regains her composure almost instantly and answers, "If you want."   
I do. I take the required footsteps and carefully lower myself down beside her. We sit in silence, watching the sunset, and my eyes wander from the horizon to her. I can feel myself blushing as I watch her silent form. The words slip out of my mouth before I know it.   
"You're beautiful."   
Oops. 

~*~

"You're beautiful."   
My head whips around to look at this...Kuririn, wondering if I heard correctly. "What did you say?!"   
He seems to be struggling with himself. His face bears a determined expression that I seem to remember, and I suddenly remember where I'd seen him before. Before I was absorbed by Cell, I remember seeing him. He had been hiding behind some trees while Vegeta was fighting Cell. He had revealed himself after a while, along with his secret weapon: he had a control that could shut me down. That was, of course, if he used it, but...he didn't. I don't know why. I realize I'm staring at him again, and I quickly divert my gaze.   
"I said, uh...your name! What's your name?"   
Uh huh. I'm supposed to buy that? Oh well, there's always the unlikely chance that my auditory systems are malfunctioning. I don't know why, but I want to answer this meaningless question. "My name, huh? Juuhachigou. I'm surprised you haven't heard it before."   
"Uh..." He's blushing. "Well, you see, Vegeta always just called you 'Jinzoningen', and Trunks didn't know your name, so I...."   
I almost laugh. He and I both know it's a lie. I guess the expression contorts my face or something, because suddenly he's frowning. He looks at me, his expression oddly...concerned. "Are you all right? Do you need a senzu bean?"   
"Senza what? What's that?" I kick myself mentally. There I go again, letting other people know my weak spot: I don't know everything.   
He laughs and indicates his cloth bag. "Senzu bean. It replenishes your health. I don't know if it'll help you, but-"   
I stand up, cutting him off. _I don't know if it'll help you.... Of course. I'm an cyborg. Jinzoningen don't need people,_ I remind myself. _I need no one._   
"Hey, what are you doing?"   
"Leaving, what's it look like?" I snap harshly. His expression goes from slightly surprised to shocked and hurt. Something almost like regret tries to stop me, but nevertheless, I fly off and leave him alone. 

~*~

For a moment I just stare after Juuhachigou's silhouette as it disappears. Then shock, the familiar aftershock of rejection, sets in, and my depressed gaze falls straight to the ground. I turn around and start to head to Kame House. I rise into the air steadily and shoot off.   
I'm starting to feel more relaxed now. Flying's always been my favorite way of getting around. It makes me feel at ease, to be free above the rest of the world. It helps to clear my head. I don't think anyone else sees it that way; I tried explaining it to Goku once, but he just gave me an odd look and said that he was hungry. Of course, that could have been just Goku.   
I've now reached Kame House. I can hear the boisterous laughter and talking from all the way out here, about a quarter of a mile away from the actual building. I change my mind suddenly; I don't want to be here, near everyone. I need to be alone. I start to leave for somewhere else, but it's too late. I've been spotted.   
"Kuririn! Where've you been? C'mon down here!"   
Halfheartedly I answer. "Sure, Yamucha. Coming."   
Yamucha leads me inside, where I am greeted by a vast array of faces. It looks like the whole gang is here, even Trunks. My head spins and I ask, "What's the occasion?"   
Yamucha laughs. "Don't tell me you forgot! This is celebrating Cell's defeat! Come and join the fun!"   
_Fun. Right. OK._ I make my way slowly to the couch, saying hello every three inches or so. Sitting down doesn't bring about much of a change, but it's better than standing. My knees are still a bit weak from my earlier conversation with Juuhachigou. I lean back and stare at the ceiling.   
"Well, hi there, Kuririn!"   
I sit up. "Oh, hi, Chi Chi. How's it going?"   
"Oh, just fine. How about you?"   
"Same here, I guess."   
"You guess?" Chi Chi turns away from me for a moment to yell something negative over her shoulder at Gohan and Trunks about a popcorn fight, then faces me again. "Is something wrong?"   
"Well, not re-" I'm cut off by a stray piece of popcorn connecting with my eye.   
"WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT THROWING POPCORN?!?!" Chi Chi bellows. Gohan and Trunks cower. It's amazing how much power that woman can pack into simple phrases.   
"Kuririn, if you don't mind, would you come with me?"   
"Sure," I answer. I have nothing better to do.   
I follow her to the kitchen, where the noise level is significantly lower and we are safe from flying food. After chasing Yajirobe out of the fridge, Chi Chi and I are alone.   
"Kuririn, is everything all right? You seem depressed."   
"Depressed? Me?" _If you only knew, Chi Chi._ Well, on second thought, I guess she would, what with Goku being dead and all. "I'm not depressed, just a little melancholy."   
"Is there anything I can help with?"   
"No, not really."   
"Listen, you look tired. Why don't you leave the party early and go for a walk or something?" she suggests. "I'll tell the others that you had a phone call, or something came up."   
Sometimes I swear the woman is a saint. "Thanks, Chi Chi," I say gratefully.   
"Oh, don't worry about it. They won't suspect a thing. You wouldn't hear the phone in here even if it did ring, what with the noise level being what it is. Now, just go out the door over there, and I'll take care of the rest."   
"Arigato, Chi Chi," I tell her again before I leave.   
"Think nothing of it," she replies, and I go out the door. 

~*~

I don't know where I'm headed now. I can see a large forest surrounded by mountains ahead of me, and I land on top of a relatively large boulder. I look up at the night sky; it's a clear night, and I can see more stars than I can ever remember seeing before.   
For the first time now, I can think clearly about my encounter with Juuhachigou. I don't understand why she just left abruptly like that. I suppose it's because she's an cyborg. Maybe they don't feel any emotions. That thought saddens me.   
_Could that be true?_ I ask myself. _Could she really not feel anything? Does that mean that I'll never be able to tell her?_   
It hurts a lot to consider that possibility. Ever since she kissed me that one day, I've been trying to get up the nerve to tell her how I feel. It's amazing how three little words can be so hard to say: I love you.   
_Ironic, isn't it? You fall in love with the one person who probably can't ever love you back._ I slowly lower myself down onto my back, still watching the stars. _You're such a fool,_ I berate myself. _You can't help it, but you're a fool._ Juuhachigou's image appears in my mind, and I am almost to engrossed in it to notice the tears running down my face. 

~*~

"Hey, Juuhachi."   
"What is it?" I demand a little less than civilly. "I was trying to think, you know."   
My brother smirks. "Oh really. Well, I guess you're not interested then."   
"Honestly, Juunana, you're just like a little kid sometimes. What is it already?"   
"There's something out in our backyard. It's been there for a while now. Shall we go hunting?"   
The backyard that he was talking about wasn't technically ours, but that didn't matter to us. After being revived, we'd ended up finding an abandoned shack out in the middle of nowhere. It was nice, actually. We were secluded, so no one could find us, and there were plenty of villages to destroy nearby. They were so small that they went unnoticed as they built themselves up, were destroyed by us, and were reborn again with the survivors.   
"I don't know. I'm not really in the mood."   
"Oh, come on. You hardly ever do this anymore. Just try it. All work and no play makes Juuhachi a dull Jinzoningen."   
I roll my eyes. Sometimes it's impossible to resist him. "Fine, fine. Just don't make this go on all night. I need my beauty sleep, you know."   
"Come on," he laughs, and we leave the house.   
He's right. The night air feels wonderful, the breeze even better. "All right, where's the intruder?" I ask playfully.   
"Over there," he says, indicating a silhouette on a large rock. "It's kind of small. Do you want it, or shall I take it?"   
"I'll take it. What do you think, you want me to give it a head start?"   
"Sure, why not. It makes it a little more fun."   
I head up to the rock slowly. Stealth has always been one of my strong points, and it comes in handy during games like this. I'm hidden behind the life form now, and it's moving. Before it was lying flat, but now it's sitting up. It's also making some odd noises and touching its hands to its face repeatedly.   
I smile to myself. This will be quite easy. I place my hand on part of the creature, and I recognize it as a shoulder. It's a human, I can tell. "Hello there," I greet it, my voice dripping honey and evil. It turns around, and I can tell it's frightened. It looks up at me and-   
"J-Juuhachigou?!" 

~*~

"J-Juuhachigou?!" I squeak. What is she doing here? Why is she behind me? And -oh, kami- was she watching me?   
She looks at me in surprise. "Kuririn?" she exclaims quietly. "W-what are you doing here?"   
"Hey, Juuhachi!" a new voice calls. I recognize it as her brother, Juunanagou. "You gonna take all night? What's taking you so long?"   
"Hold on," she tells me before calling back to him. "You go ahead and find something else, Juunana. I'll take care of this one. It may be small, but it's quick."   
"All right. But remember, don't take all night!!" There is the sound of rustling leaves and foliage on skin, or at least skin substitute, and I guess that he has left.   
She turns back to me. "So tell me, why are you here?"   
"I....well, I..."   
She sighs. I can tell she's annoyed, and I can feel my shoulders slump.   
"Look..." she starts to say, "I....it's just....look, if you can't give me a straight answer then just leave, all right?"   
My disappointment deepens. _Just leave, all right?_ The pain of rejection is resurfacing and I feel the need to let it out.   
"I understand..." I whisper, not meeting her gaze. Then, to myself, "I think...." And almost before I know it, for the second time today, we are separate. This time it's my fault, and that only adds to my dislike for the distance. 

~*~

He left. And it's my fault, I think. _What's wrong with you?_ I ask myself. _Why are you letting an insignificant human turn you upside down?_ I suddenly hear branches breaking. I know who it is without turning around. "Hey, Juunana," I ask, "How was the hunt?"   
"Not bad," he answers. "Not as good as last week's, but last week's was something unusual. What about you?"   
"It got away. I told you it was quick."   
"You're slacking, Juuhachi. Tsk, tsk. My own sister."   
"Kindly shut up. Anyway, you ready to go?"   
"Yeah, I'm full. Let's go."   
"Um...you go on without me. I'm going to stay out here for a little while longer."   
"Whatever happened to Miss 'I-need-my-beauty-sleep'?"   
"I just need to work on my speed. After all, you said yourself that I can't be slacking off."   
He shrugs and begins to head back towards our house. "Suit yourself."   
"I'll probably be gone all night," I call after him. "Don't start to worry or anything if I'm not back until breakfast or lunch tomorrow."   
"Me? Worry about you? Please," he replies. "Where did you get that idea? I know you can take care of yourself. You'll manage."   
"Thanks." I comment wryly. "I think."   
"Always glad to help." He disappears into the bushes.   
_Now what?_ I think. _I'm definitely not going 'hunting', no matter what Juunana thinks. What can I do?_ After a couple minutes of indecision, I choose to go visit Juuroku. After he was wished back from the dead, he still had pieces missing from his skull. Dr. Briefs fixed him up, and afterwards he stayed along as somewhat of an assistant to the man. I think that cat of the Briefs' had something to do with it also; Juuroku always had a thing for animals. It's not that far from our house, either. Besides, I always found Juuroku easier to talk to than Juunana.   
As I begin the flight to the Briefs' laboratory, I unwillingly recall Kuririn's saddened expression when I told him to leave me alone earlier tonight. His disappointed comment afterwards also comes to mind.   
_I understand...I think..._   
I don't think he really meant for me to hear the last part, but he underestimated the power of my auditory systems. I guess they weren't malfunctioning after all.   
I'm brought out of my deep thoughts by the fact that I've reached Capsule Corporation, and that I can hear shouting below. Looking down, I see the daughter of that doctor of Juuroku's...what was her name?...and a short, spiky haired man -Vegeta! _What's he doing here?_ I wonder. I sink a little lower in the sky, increasing the probability of my overhearing the conversation. It's unneeded, though, as the argument increases greatly in decibel level.   
"Baka onna! How many times have I told you, you have no authority over me! I am a Saiyajin prince! I listen to no one but myself!"   
"Oh, so now you're too high and mighty to listen to a lowly woman such as myself, is that it?"   
"Since when did I ever listen to you?!"   
"There's a first time for everything, you know!"   
"Shut your mouth! Why do you always have to give me so much trouble, woman?"   
"I'll tell you why! Because you can't get it through your thick, princely, Saiyajin skull that I have a name! Because you never take any time to ask, "How are you doing, Buruma?" or, "It's a nice day, isn't it, Buruma?" or even a simple "Good morning!" !! It's always an insult! Because, no matter what I do, it's not good enough for you! And finally, because you never, once in your life, stop by to say hello to Trunks! For Kami-sama's sake, Vegeta, he's your son too!!"   
A loud wail suddenly comes from inside the building. Buruma, glaring at Vegeta, says, "That would be Trunks, our _son_, whom we have just woken up with our petty arguing!"   
"I know who it is, woman!"   
"Well, I just thought I'd tell you, as you can't seem to remember who he is any other time!" Buruma stomps up to the doorstep. "I'm not finished with you yet, Vegeta," she growls harshly, then closes the door forcefully behind her. It opens once more and she pokes her head out. Noticing Vegeta is about to leave, she yells, "Fine! Leave if you want! If this is the kind of father you're going to be, I'd rather Trunks grew up without one!!!!" The deafening slam of the door behind her resounds in the cool, still, night air.   
I'm rendered speechless. _What was that all about?_

~*~

I've somehow found my way to Buruma's place. I figure I can always talk to her, plus she makes a mean cup of coffee. She and I have known each other for quite some time now, and we're pretty good friends.   
When I look down at the combination lab/house, I can hear a baby crying inside. _Trunks,_ I think. _It's unlike Buruma to let him cry for so long._ The wailing stops, and then I notice that the lights are on inside but there's someone sitting outside alone. I squint and try to get a closer look, but the shadows of the tree the person is sitting in hides any recognizable features. I then try to identify the person's ki, and I hit the jackpot. It's Vegeta! He'd kill me if he knew I was here, so I keep a safe distance until some ten or fifteen minutes later, when he finally flies off. When he disappears into the horizon, I creep up and knock on the door.   
"Go _away_, Vegeta!" a muffled voice calls violently from inside.   
I knock again.   
"I _said_, go away!!"   
"Buruma," I call. "Buruma, it's me. Kuririn." I can hear the sound of someone getting off of a couch or something and coming to the door, which then opens.   
"Sorry, Kuririn. It's been a long day."   
"I can tell," I reply.   
"What gave it away?" she asks in an attempt at humor.   
"Well...for starters, the red, swollen eyes, the damp cheeks, the ruffled hair, the fact that you thought I was Vegeta..."   
"OK, OK, that's enough. That obvious, huh?"   
"Hai."   
She takes a minute to straighten herself up, and we sit in silence for a few moments. "So...what brings you here?" she inquires, as if people are always dropping into her living room at 10: 46 pm.   
"Nothing really. I just needed someone to talk to, plus some coffee."   
Buruma laughs. "I can take a hint." She heads into the kitchen, still talking. "I guess it's a good thing you dropped in. I need someone to talk to also, now that I think about it. Coffee's probably a good idea, too."   
"Hey," I say, just noticing something,"Where's Trunks? I heard him crying before I came in. Then he stopped, and I thought you got him."   
"I was feeling kind of...worn out, so I asked Otousan if he or Juuroku-san could take care of him."   
"Juuroku....-san?"   
She nods. "Hai. You remember Juurokugou? Well, as you know, Otousan fixed him up after Cell totaled him. After Gohan sent Cell off into oblivion, Juuroku stayed on with us as Otousan's assistant. He's really smart, being an cyborg and all, plus he's gentle as a lamb. The cat loves him, and so does Trunks." She started suddenly as the coffee machine made an odd noise. "Uh-oh...hold on a sec." She turned to the coffee machine and fiddled with it for a moment. "Crud."   
"What's wrong?" I ask, starting to feel a bit nervous. After all, Buruma and her father are both inventors, so Kami-sama only knows what they could do to coffee machines.   
"Well, this thing broke last week and I never got around to fixing it. I called the appliance repairpeople and figured they'd take care of it. But now it looks like 'tousan went and fixed it before the repairpeople, and...well, let's just say that some of these parts should _not_ be in here."   
"Crud is right."   
"Yeah...oh my god! What did he _do_ to this thing?"   
"Um...should I be offering to help or hiding under the table?"   
"Hiding. Definitely. Now, where is that power strip?!"   
That was not the most reassuring thing she could have said. "Hey, Bulma? Would it do any major harm if I unplugged it?"   
"Don't think so...why?"   
"Um...'cause I just found that power strip."   
She jumps up. "Quick! Unplug it, now!!"   
The coffee machine is shaking and making noises that should not, under any normal circumstances, come from a coffee machine. I pull out the plug and begin to feel a lot better, because that causes the coffee machine to return to dormancy.   
"OK, what say we go to the lab for coffee?"   
"How about in a minute? I still need to talk to you, you know."   
"Oh, right." She walks into the living room, sits down on the couch, and motions for me to join her. "So, what's wrong with you today?"   
"Hey! I don't come here _every_ day to talk and mooch coffee off of you every day! Sounds to me like you're the one with the problem!"   
"Hai, maybe I am." Her expression changes from laughing to solemn. "Maybe."   
"Buruma, what's with you today? You're not acting like yourself."   
"Well...if I tell you exactly what's wrong, you know that you'll be here for a while."   
"Yeah, I don't mind. Just as long as Vegeta doesn't come barging in, I'm fine. He'd literally kill me if he found us together, even if we're just innocently talking like we are now. His philosophy is kill now, ask questions later."   
"I know." Buruma's shoulders slump. "Believe me, I know."   
Oops. I'm just Mr. Tactful today, aren't I? First those scenes with Juuhachigou, and now this...I shake my memories off and return my thoughts to the present. "Oh, geez, Buruma, I'm sorry. Here I am rambling on like a total baka about Vegeta while it's obvious that he's part of the problem. Gomen."   
"Part?" Buruma lets out what could have been a bitter laugh, but I can't tell as I've never heard her laugh bitterly before. "He's not just part. He is the problem."   
"Oh. Would you like to tell me about it? Sometimes it's better to let these things out instead of keeping them inside."   
"Sure, why not. There's nothing else to do about it, I suppose." She runs her hand through her hair and keeps talking. "When I had Trunks, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I thought that now I could fulfill my dream of having a family while still being a scientist, just like my father. He always found time for us, no matter how busy he was.   
"But I was pretty naive then. Of course, the fact that Vegeta actually did come visit me in the hospital once in a while didn't help me realize the situation I was putting myself in. I thought, you know, maybe he's actually coming around. Maybe now we can have a family.   
"Once I got out of the hospital, I didn't see Vegeta for about three weeks. When he finally did come, I asked him where he had been. He said he'd been training, what else would he be doing? I told him that his son missed him, and he said to me, 'Life wasn't easy for me, and I grew up strong. Why should I pamper my son so that he'll be weaker than he already is?' I said that I thought I understood but that maybe he could come visit us every week or so. He gave me this...this look, I can't really describe it, and just flew off.   
"It's just gone downhill from there. I hardly every see him, and when I do, it's him asking me to unlock the gravity room. I lost my temper at him tonight and yelled at him a lot. I told him that if that was the kind of father he was going to be, then I'd rather Trunks grew up fatherless. I slammed the door in his face and then you came by about five minutes later." she finished.   
"Ah. I see." I muse, not really knowing what else to say regarding this situation.   
"Well?"   
"Well what?"   
"Look, I just poured my heart out to you. Now's the time where you give me some helpful advice or that kind of crap."   
"Um." I try to think quickly. "Well, how about this? Try to get him to compromise. Tell him you'll meet him halfway. Or maybe set aside some time where you can talk to him alone. Tell him that, um....he can't use the gravity room until he spends some time with you and Trunks. Oh, and since this is Vegeta we're dealing with, make sure he agrees to conversation instead of arguing or silence. Make sure he also spends some time taking full responsibility of Trunks, if you'd trust him with Trunks alone, and see how it goes from there."   
"Wow, Kuririn, you're good at this. Maybe you should start your own advice column."   
"Yeah. Right. When I've got my own newly acquired set of problems to work out?"   
"And what would those be?"   
Oops. Did I just say that out loud? "Oh, er, nothing. Nothing at all, heh heh."   
Buruma gives me her patented "I-will-believe-that-when-Vegeta-gets-his-hair-buzzed-of-his-own-free-will" look. "One more time: what would those problems be? You said yourself that sometimes it's better to let these things out than to keep them inside."   
I sigh, admitting my defeat. I really don't have the willpower to resist Buruma's prying tonight.   
"Well, Buruma, it goes like this..." I begin, starting to swallow my pride in order to tell Buruma the story of my being hung up on an cyborg, of all people...er, things.   
"Look, Kuririn, cut the dramatic act. You and I both know that we don't have time for that."   
So much for that. As I falter, my pride resurfaces and I willingly rely upon the time-old excuse of making up a person with the same problems as you. "Well, you see, I...uh, know this guy. He's pretty decent, the kind of guy who's nice enough but still sort of retains a spine, but he's kinda low-key. You know the type: the kind that fades into the background a lot. This, uh, friend of mine has this problem, though. He's-"   
"Wait a minute," Buruma interrupts. "I thought you said that _you_ were the one with the problems, not this...friend...of yours."   
"Uh...well, this guy, um, he came and told me all this stuff so he could get it off his back, but now he wants advice. From me. So now this is all resting on my shoulders, no matter what I do, so I figured it'd be best to talk to someone." Phew. Thank Kami-sama for quick thinking. "Anyway, this friend of mine is really hung up on someone, but he's not sure that the person likes him back, or even can."   
"What do you mean,'or even can'?" Buruma asks suspiciously.   
"Um...er, she's kind of cold. She really acts distant all of the time, like she's not even on the planet. She doesn't even notice this guy, and he's starting to wonder if..." I trail off. This lie could easily start to get too realistic.   
"If what?"   
The words come spilling out of their own accord. "If...if she's even human."   
Buruma looks at me blankly. "If she's even human? How...." Suddenly, her previously puzzled face lights up. "Ah-hah! I see now."   
"What's your advice?"   
She leans over and claps me on the back. "It's simple. Just make sure Juuhachigou knows how you feel, Kuririn. That's all I should, and will, say."   
I'm stunned, to say the least. "B-but....how did you know?!" I stutter.   
"It was too easy, Kuririn," she laughs. "The looks on your face, the way you stuttered, the unusual circumstances...I knew this was about you after the first couple sentences. The only thing puzzling me was your question about her mortality, but after I just thought about it, it all fit together."   
"Oh," I mutter sheepishly. "Um...what say we get that coffee now?"   
"Good idea." Buruma smiles at me. At least I'd managed to cheer her up. 

~*~

"So, Juuhachi," Juuroku says to me, petting the cat he has on his shoulder, "What brings you here tonight?"   
I shrug. "I don't know. Just wanted to see you, I guess."   
He smiles. "You always were a bad liar, Juuhachi. What is the matter?"   
"I just have a lot on my mind tonight. I needed to see a familiar face."   
"Juunana wasn't in a social enough mood for you?"   
"When is he ever? All he seems to think about is hunting whatever's in the backyard and guns. Oh, and let's not forget blowing things up."   
"And what do you think about, Juuhachi?"   
Juuroku always had the godcursed talent of knowing exactly what I needed to talk about, even if I didn't want to. "I don't know. Maybe what I'm going to practice tomorrow, how to keep Juunana from blowing up everything in sight, what I'm going to do with my life...." I exhaled loudly. The next part was hard to admit, but I knew Juuroku would never tell anyone what I was about to say. "And...well, Juuroku? Do you know that Kuririn person?"   
He looks slightly surprised. "I do," he replies anyway, picking up the small crying child in the crib next to him. He somehow does this without dropping or annoying the cat, I note in an amused manner. That manner doesn't last for very long, though.   
"Sometimes...Juuroku, he and I have been running into each other an awful lot, and....well, sometimes I....I think about him." I finish quietly, gazing intently at the floor.   
He has a bemused expression on his face as he rocks the baby he is holding, soothing it. "This....Kuririn, is it? He is troubling you, or, rather, you are troubling yourself about him. What has happened that you aren't telling me, Juuhachi?"   
"I...I wish I knew what was going on, Juuroku. I don't know why this is happening to me. i mean, I'm allowing a human, a _human_ , to penetrate my defenses. I'm kicking myself for it all the while."   
"Why?" Juuroku inquires softly. "Why does this cause you to berate yourself?"   
"Because," I say, trying to make him understand, "We're supposed to be the invincible Jinzoningen. We were beaten by a fellow cyborg, that's understandable, I suppose. But now, I'm allowing a pitiful life form who couldn't be a worthy opponent of mine if he was twice as skilled as he is now to interfere with my daily life, my schedule, my logic. I don't see you or Juunana doing this; why is it me?!" I exclaim, my desperation apparent.   
"Hush, Juuhachi," Juuroku says quietly. "It's just not time for us yet. Here, hold Trunks." He holds out the child in his arms.   
"Why?"   
"Sometimes holding him has a calming effect. When I'm feeling particularly frustrated, Trunks here always helps me out." He smiles affectionately at Trunks, who coos agreeably.   
"Wait a minute." Something clicks in my brain. "Trunks? This wouldn't be the kid who came from the future, would it? Vegeta and that scientist's son?"   
"I believe he is the one who was here from the future at one point, and yes, he is Buruma's son."   
I take the child,Trunks, into my arms. He fusses and squirms a little at first, but then he settles down, sighing. I look down at this small, seemingly miniature human in my arms and feel calmed, just as Juuroku predicted. I can feel, for some reason, a smile forming on my face, and I sit down on the sole chair next to Juuroku. A need to close my eyes creeps up on me, and I do so, feeling strangely peaceful for the first time since I don't know when. 

~*~

Buruma leads me downstairs to the lab. "Trust me, the coffee machine down here has slightly less attitude than the one upstairs. At least, I think it does."   
I laugh, albeit halfheartedly. That's Buruma's idea of a joke when she's in one of her 'scientist' moods. My mind is still occupied with thoughts of Juuhachigou, but I push them out of my head, telling myself to save them until _after_ caffeine. It's very hard to do so with no conversation, so I try to get Buruma to talk. "So," I say, "Um...how's Trunks been doing?"   
"Pretty well," she responds. "He's starting to become more active, and he's more accepting of strangers now."   
"That's great. Is he up in the lab?"   
"Hai. I'm pretty sure that Juuroku-san is holding him right now. If you want, maybe he'll let you hold him."   
"Sounds good." Silence reigns again, but not for long.   
"All right, we're here." Buruma announces, opening a door at the end of the long hallway we have been walking down. "Welcome to my laboratory."   
"....." I know I'm gaping at the vast array of equipment Buruma has arranged in this seemingly moderate space, but I can't help it. "Whoa...you've added some stuff since the last time I've seen this place, huh?"   
She smiles proudly. "Hai. All the latest equipment for all the latest procedures, plus some new apparatuses designed by 'tousan and myself, of course."   
I whistled my appreciation. "Nice. Don't let me near any of the valuable and irreplaceable ones, though. I can just see myself dropping my coffee cup all over your top-secret original plans for something and ruining them."   
She chuckles softly. "Whatever you say, Kuririn. Just don't take all day getting through the door."   
I then realize that I am still standing outside the door, while Buruma has walked inside already. "Oh...hai." I take the few steps needed to enter the lab and follow Buruma to a seat.   
"Oh, Juuroku-san! I didn't expect you to still be working this late!"   
"Nor did I," the large, lab-coat-wearing cyborg replies in his usual calm manner. "You could say something came up."   
"Really?" Buruma sounds bemused. "Care to tell me about this?" She draws him into a corner and begins talking to him quietly. Knowing that this conversation does not involve me, I look around the lab, taking everything in. There are large, odd-looking apparatuses mounted on the walls, and smaller shapeless ones held firmly in place by cables in the corners. A few chairs are scattered throughout the room, but I'm the only person sitting. Glancing around the room again, I notice that Trunks is not in his crib.   
_Hmm,_ I think. _That's odd. I thought that he was up here._   
_ "Is he in the lab?"_   
_ "Hai...I'm pretty sure Juuroku-san's holding him right now..."_   
I scrutinize the room one more time, looking for Trunks. I can see no one at first, but my eyes then catch a glimpse of someone sitting in a chair near the wall that I had previously thought to be empty. I creep closer to this person, who seems to be asleep in this darkened part of the lab, and am able to tell that he or she as shoulder length hair. _Hmm,_ I think, _either Yamucha's grown his hair out again, or this person's female._ I can't think of anyone, female or otherwise, who would be here so late at night, so I try to identify this person's ki. I can't get a reading, and that puzzles and disturbs me at the same time. I find a light switch on the wall, and switch it on, allowing me to see this person's face. It's Juuhachigou!   
"Juuhachigou?" I whisper softly. There is no answer, and I guess that she is asleep. Suddenly I hear a soft noise, as if in answer to my whisper. I look down, and I notice that Juuhachigou is holding baby Trunks! To top that off, Trunks is asleep as well!   
"Amazing," I murmur, more to myself than to anyone else. "Trunks doesn't fall asleep with just anybody, you know." She moves just a little bit, and I quickly silence myself in fear of waking her up.   
_She looks just like a mother,_ I think, _So tranquil and peaceful._   
"Kuririn!" Buruma's voice comes from the opposite side of the lab.   
"Right here," I call back quietly. "But keep it down. Juu-, I mean, Trunks is asleep."   
"All right," she replies more softly. "Kuririn, you just stay here. I need to discuss something concerning the lab with Juuroku-san."   
"Hai, Buruma."   
"And don't worry, I'm pretty sure we can scrounge up some coffee later on."   
"Sounds good."   
I hear the sound of a door shutting and I know that I have been left alone with Trunks and Juuhachigou. At this sound, Trunks stirs and wakes up.   
"Hi there," I greet him gently.   
He gurgles at the sound of my voice. "Ku-wi-wa," he giggles, saying my name the only way he can. "Ku-wi-wa."   
"Yup, that's me."   
Juuhachigou then shifts her position a bit, and yawns. "Juuroku? Is that you?"   
Trunks perks up at the sound of his caretaker's name. "Juu-ko? Juu-ko?" he asks me.   
"Um..." My throat is unusually dry; I can't seem to make the words come out. "I...I'm not Juurokugou."   
She straightens her posture. "Who is it?" she demands dangerously.   
I clear my throat. "It's me," I tell her quietly. "Kuririn."   
She whips her head around to look at me. "What are _you_ doing here?!?!"   
"I came to talk to Buruma. I needed...some advice."   
She just stares at me blankly. "Why is it that, no matter where I am, there you are too?"   
"I don't know." I answer her. It's actually the truth. I don't know why fate threw us together in this odd sort of way. "Maybe it's fate."   
"What's that?" she asks, her voice only partly scornful.   
"Nothing really," I reply cheerfully. I might as well keep the mood bright for a little while. "Just something that us humans made up so that, if something goes wrong, we don't take all the blame. Or, sometimes, when things go right, people say that it was fated to be. Other times it's a pickup line, though."   
"A picket line?"   
"A pickup line. People use this to try to get other people to like them."   
"I still don't get this." She doesn't sound scornful now, just curious. I wonder for a brief moment why she's acting so...so...._human_, but shake it off and answer her question. There's no point in being rude.   
"Well, say that, um...this guy was, er, at a restaurant, and he sees this-"   
"Hold on," she interrupts. "If you stumble that much, I won't be able to understand you."   
"Uh...right. So, um, let's see, I'll put this really simply. Say that, uh, you were sitting in a restaurant and I came up to you and started talking to you, but you really weren't interested. So then I might start, I don't know, saying how much I like you or something. If you still weren't interested I might tell you that fate meant us to be together."   
"I....think I understand."   
Suddenly, Trunks starts getting fussy again. I guess he was feeling left out of the conversation, and for good reason.   
"Here," I hold Trunks out to Juuhachigou. "I think he wants you to hold him again."   
"Uh...sure." She takes him, and he immediately stops fussing. He coos, and when Juuhachigou bends her head down to look at him, he grabs her hair.   
"Ow!" she blurts out, then covers her mouth.   
"Here, let me help," I offer, and bend over to help detangle Trunks' hand from her hair. After about five minutes of struggling, Trunks suddenly decides that he would much rather grab onto my shirt than Juuhachigou's hair, and switches his attention to doing just that.   
"OK, Trunks," I told him sternly while engaging in tug-of-war with him over my shirt, "It's time to let go now." Trunks giggles and pulls harder, almost tearing the article of clothing. Juuhachigou reaches over to help me, but I'm too preoccupied to be surprised.   
"I...mean it...Trunks..." I mutter in between tugs. He laughs harder and is joined by someone else....Juuhachigou? I look up at her, surprised, because it's the first time I've ever heard her display any emotion except self-assurance and anger. I can feel Trunks stop moving too when he hears Juuhachigou, and his grip loosens. Juuhachigou and I pull together, and the shirt and I go tumbling into Juuhachigou's arm. Trunks is still sitting on her lap, and he decides it's time for another round of tug-of-war. As I turn around halfway to make sure that I didn't break anything behind me, he grabs my shirt from the back, and this time I can't reach back far enough to discourage him. Juuhachigou laughs again, and I can feel her hands on my back as she gently coaxes Trunks to let go.   
"Come on, Trunks," I plead, but I find myself laughing too. "It's enough now!"   
"Well, well, well, aren't we the happy little family?" a laughing voice interjects. It's Buruma! Trunks squeals and immediately lets go, calling, "Ma-ma! Ma-ma!"   
"You're awake again?" Buruma asks him as she removes him from Juuhachigou's lap. He coos in response. "Sorry about this, Kuririn, Juuhachigou." she tells us. "He's not usually this...energetic. You guys want some coffee?"   
"Sure!" I reply enthusiastically. Juuhachigou, on the other hand, doesn't answer. Maybe she doesn't feel like she can be human around anyone but me. Despite myself, I feel a little swell of pride. She let her defenses down for _me_.   
"What about you, Juuhachigou?" Buruma asks kindly. I guess she's more comfortable with the cyborgs now that she's living with one. "Do you want some too?"   
Juuhachigou replies softly, "I don't need any."   
Buruma is not at all fazed. "Neither do we. We don't need it to survive, but we drink it anyway. So, how about it?"   
I can see the desperate look she shoots Juurokugou as well as the nod he gives her in return. _Please let her listen to him just this once. Please, Kami-sama..._

~*~   
End Part One

Author's Notes: Oy. Long enough for ya? ^.~ There's plenty more to come in the next chapter. So...let's see, where was I? Oh yeah, notes. On Juuhachi not knowing about fate, I figure, Dr. Gero modified her to be a fighting machine. So he wouldn't put anything about pickup lines in her database. Oh, and the official song for this chapter is "Absolutely(Story of a Girl)" by Nine Days.   
Kuririn: *starts singing kareoke* This is the story of a girl, who cried a river and drowned the whole world....   
O.o Go to the next chapter before it's too late! (Oh yeah, and please R&R! ^^) 


	2. Part Two

Programmed Response

Part Two 

I don't know why, but I agree to join the scientist, Kuririn, and Juuroku in the scientist's lounge. Kuririn, for some reason, brightens up when I say so. The scientist leads us down one of the many hallways that branch out from her lab, and she and Juuroku take the lead. We walk in almost absolute silence for a while. The scientist and Juuroku are talking softly ahead of us about some sort of project they are working on, and the only other noises besides that are the sounds of our feet and of the various machines filling practically all of the structure. The scientist pulls Juuroku into a side room, saying, "This is the machine that was giving me so much trouble. Can you help me?" She then tells Kuririn and me to wait outside this room. The door shuts loudly and unceremoniously.   
"Juu...Juuhachigou?"   
I'm a bit startled by the sound of Kuririn's voice. "What is it?"   
"Um...back in Buruma's lab..."   
"Yeah?" _What's he getting at?_ I wonder.   
"You...you looked....happy, sitting there with Trunks..."   
"Yeah, so?" He's only confusing me even more.   
"Were you happy?"   
_What?_ I'm caught completely off guard this time. _What does he mean, 'were you happy'? How would I know?!_ I clear my throat and answer the best way I can. "I...I really don't know. I mean....how would I know?"   
He stops walking. "What?"   
I'm starting to lose patience with this human. "Listen," I snap,"Here I am, ready to tell you something that I would never, ever in my life tell anyone else, and all you can say is 'What?'?! Do me a favor. Next time remind me not to bother!" I turn to go angrily. Never in my life have I ever wanted to leave someplace so badly, yet want to stay at the same time....and this only infuriates me further.   
"Juuhachigou...." he cries plaintively,"Come back, chotto....oh, kami, come back!!" Then, more quietly,"Please..."   
For some reason I stop. _What are you doing?!_ my mind rages. _You're letting yourself be manipulated!!_ "Wh-what is it now?" I demand, trying yet failing to be harsh.   
"Please....I didn't mean to upset you...I-I guess...I guess I just didn't understand..."   
"You're-" I halt in the middle of my sentence.   
_ I-I...I guess I just didn't understand...._   
_He was trying to understand!_ I realize suddenly. No one's ever tried to understand me before. Juunana and I just took each other's words to be facts, Juuroku and I never talked much, and everyone else just tried to fight us....until now…   
"Fine," I tell him, trying to retain a little dignity,"I'll repeat this for you. But not once more, do you understand?"   
"Hai..." He looks up at me in a way that reminds me of a puppy. "But, um, Juuhachigou? ...I'm sorry. Gomen nasai."   
I blink at this. "Wha- uh, right..." I stop for a minute to regain my composure. "Look, what I was saying is how am I supposed to know if I'm happy or not? When in my entire life do you think I have ever been happy? Tell me that much!!!" The anger boils up inside me again, and I glare at Kuririn.   
He stares up at me, surprised. "I...I...I don't know, I guess. I suppose I thought that you and Juunanagou were happy, now that Cell is gone and you can live on your own..." His shoulders slump. "But...I guess I don't know that much about you..." He averts his gaze again. "Look, I'm sorry, Juuhachigou. All I did tonight was upset you, and that's not what I want to do. I...I just want to make sure you're happy...." He turns to leave.   
"Kuririn! Where do you think you're going?!"   
The scientist -Buruma, that's her name- has emerged from the room along with Juuroku. "You get your sorry butt back here! You came here for coffee and now that I'm going to make it, you are not running off, got it?!"   
"H-hai, Buruma." He turns back around and we continue our journey to Buruma's lounge.   
Juuroku walks beside Buruma again, so I have to walk near Kuririn. He doesn't look ahead the entire time; he walks with his head down and depression level up. There is more silence, and it's getting tedious.   
"Buruma-san?" Juuroku asks suddenly.   
"Yes, Juuroku-san?"   
"I don't think we should go down this hallway any further. It doesn't feel right."   
"What do you mean by that?" The scientist is alarmed now.   
>BOOOOMM   
"That's what I mean." There is now a large burning area about thirty feet down the hall from us.   
"What in Kami-sama's name was THAT?!?!"   
"I would walk faster, Buruma, not ask questions!" Kuririn's come out of his daze and into survival mode. "We all need to stick together and run like heck!!!"   
We do so, smaller explosions following us all the way. Buruma and Juuroku, being the most familiar to this building, take the lead, with Kuririn and I following closely behind.   
_This was not the way I planned to spend my evening,_ I think wryly as I run. _In fact, I didn't terribly want to see any explosions at all. I get enough of that living with Juunana._   
"Juuhachigou! Look out!!" I turn around quickly, only to see Kuririn leap between me and the ensuing explosion. The two of us are thrown back from the explosion, and I can't see Buruma or Juuroku.   
We stop by running into a wall. The impact stuns me as I am the wall's source of contact, but I am not hurt, thanks to Kuririn and my artificial endurance. I gasp as I search frantically for him, and to my relief and despair I find him unconscious in my lap. "Kuririn!" I shake him vigorously. "Wake up!!" He doesn't move, so I pick him up and run as fast as I can. Buruma and Juuroku's silhouettes are now becoming visible to me, and I pick up the pace until I'm right behind them.   
"Kuso!!! Trunks!!" Buruma is screaming, and she takes a sharp right into the main lab. A fire extinguisher hangs on the wall, and Juuroku grabs it and sprays the encroaching inferno. The thought that it must be an interesting fire extinguisher to try to put out this blaze enters the back of my mind, but I shake it off. Slowly, the sound of crackling flames is replaced with the sound of fire fizzling out and dying, and the danger has passed. I sink to the floor, relieved, but the feeling does not last long. I remember the unconscious person in my arms, and hear a scream. Is it Buruma's? Juuroku's? Mine?   
Buruma is right beside me in an instant with Trunks and a first aid kit in her arms. She holds the baby out to me, and I take him numbly. She quickly performs some actions I do not know the name for and devotes her attention to the side of his body that is charred and bruised- the side of his body that shielded me from the blast.   
"How is he?" Juuroku's calm voice comes from next to me.   
"He's alive," she says. I hear the words as if in a dream. "But he's in very bad shape."   
_Very bad shape...._   
For some reason, the words strike me deeply. I stand up stiffly, still holding Trunks, and leave the room. Out of the corner of my eye I can see Buruma starting to go after me, but Juuroku holds her back and says, "Let her go."   
As I wander down the stairs, Kuririn's previous words echo in my mind.   
_I guess I don't know much about you...I'm sorry, Juuhachigou...I just want to make sure you're happy..._   
I look out the nearest window and see that outside, as if to fit the mood, it is raining. There is suddenly an odd stinging sensation near my eyes, an unfamiliar feeling, and suddenly my cheek is wet. Something wet streaks down my face, leaving a salty trail. It's a tear, I realize, surprised. It's the first I've ever known, or maybe just the first I can remember.   
_What's your problem?!_ my inner self scolds. _I don't know,_ I answer myself, wiping the tear away violently in my frustration. Perhaps in response to my sudden movement, Trunks looks at me in a surprised way that somehow reminds me of Kuririn. I can feel that stinging sensation behind my eyes again, and I shut my eyes tightly. _What's wrong with you?!_   
Trunks makes little baby noises and snuggles up to me as if he wants to comfort me. I let him do that. For some strange reason, it is comforting, I realize. As I gaze out the window, Kuririn's image seems to appear in the rainy haze.   
My knees begin to feel shaky. I sit down in a conveniently placed chair and continue to stare out the window. I can't remember ever feeling so emotionally drained in my existence. As my eyelids slowly slide shut, the last image I see is Kuririn's face superimposed over the falling rain. 

~*~

There is blackness and nothing else right now, except for the pain…I can't open my eyes…Juuhachi…where is she…?   
Soft sounds permeate my shell of darkness.   
"Is she back yet?" It's Bulma. Good, she made it.   
"I presume you mean Juuhachi. No, she's not." That's Juurokugou- er, Juuroku-san.   
"I'm starting to get worried about her, Juuroku-san...she's been awfully quiet..."   
"She'll be all right, Bulma-san. I think she's just....what is that word you used earlier? Contemplating, that was it. She's contemplating matters, and from the looks of her, she'll be doing this for a while. I would say something like 'don't worry', but I don't think it would help you at this point."   
I can almost see Buruma's sad smile, the one she wears so often. "You know me too well, Juuroku-san."   
"Perhaps so. That is what comes with working with you for this long, though. Do you really think I should go check on Juuhachi?"   
"i don't know, Juuroku-san. You know her better than I do. You should be the one to decide. I just can't help but be concerned about her."   
"Would you be able to rest a little easier if I made sure she was all right?"   
"I think so. It just strikes me as unfair that she be singled out to take so much weight at one time."   
"I see. I'll go look for her, then."   
"Thank you, Juuroku-san."   
"Think nothing of it. Besides, I'm concerned about Juuhachi, too." Juurokugou's footsteps grow quiet as he walks away. I can feel exhaustion start to creep up on me, but I can't go to sleep...not yet...not until I know…if Juuhachi is safe...I hear faint footsteps…and the world is fading…no, not yet…   
"Buruma-san?"   
"Oh! Back already, Juuroku-san?"   
"Yes, she's not so hard to find if you know her like I do. She's asleep in the other room. Trunks was asleep with her, but I brought him back with me. Now will you consider resting?"   
Buruma's reply is unheard by me, as the darkness beckons…I can rest now…I know Juuhachi's all right…she's safe…   
The last thought that enters my head before the darkness claims me is of Juurokugou's words.   
_She's not so hard to find if you know her like I do…_   
And then there is my plaintive wish, hopeless as it may be…   
_That's the way I'd like to know you…Juuhachi…_

~*~

_Why are you guys doing this to Goku?! He didn't do anything to you!_   
_Don't you understand? This is just a game._   
_Just a...game?_   
_Yes. This is all just a game. Why not make the game fun?_   
_So why are you chasing Goku? Why can't you just leave him alone?_   
_Did you hear that, Juuroku? He wants us to leave Goku alone. What do you say?_   
_…It is in my programming. I must pursue Goku._   
_There you have it. It's in our programming. So, we will find Goku._   
_Just listen to yourselves! Dr. Gero is gone; you took care of that! You don't have to do this!_   
_…you don't have to do this…_   
_…don't have to do this…_   
_…I guess I don't know much about you...I'm sorry, Juuhachigou...I just want to make sure you're happy..._   
_…Juuhachigou…_   
_…Juuhachi…_   
I wake up from my dream with Kuririn's previous words ringing in my ears. What is wrong with you?! my subconscious demands. This is going on too long! What is the problem?!   
I sigh. I do not want to experience any more internal battles; I'd had enough for one night, thank you very much. Bent on clearing my head, I sit up slowly, then stand and stretch quietly. Falling asleep on a chair takes its toll on everyone, even me after Dr. Gero's "modifications". Stretching complete, I walk down the hall silently.   
_Why am I even here still? I could have left hours ago. Why am I here?_ I ask myself as I walk. _If I hadn't stayed, I would be home with Juunana and secure, instead of being confused and alone. If I hadn't come here in the first place, I wouldn't have gone through all the painful reminders that I'm not like these, these…humans…and that I won't ever be…_   
_Is that true?_ asks my subconscious, a different part than the one that tells me to leave. _Is it your fate to be wandering, lost and alone, for all time? Is this their fault? Or is it yours, for keeping your distance, for alienating them, for never giving them -or yourself- a chance to change?_   
I stop dead in my tracks. Part of me is saying no, no, it's not my fault, it's not....and somewhere in me, I hear a voice, familiar somehow…a child crying…   
_No, it's not my fault, I swear! I didn't do it! It's not my fault…!_   
Then it's gone, and another part of me screams yes, yes, I was wrong, I'm trying to change!   
And the two sides seem to just crash into each other, and my mind is shrieking…   
_No, it's not me! Yes, it is, I'm to blame! No, I'm wrong, yes, I'm right, yes, no, yes, no-_   
_SHUT UP!!_ I scream at myself, and I run as fast as I can, away from everything…   
Dead end. I've ended up in a small room with a single bed and table with a chair and a window. My knees feel weak and I collapse into the chair. The world is spinning, around and around, and I need to rest…but I can't. The phrase "too tired to sleep" suddenly applies to me. I look around at my surroundings and notice there is someone in the bed. I can barely make out the person's features, but there's no hair. It must be Kuririn. I can hear his steady breathing, and for some reason it soothes me. The darkness sleep offers is approaching, it's so welcoming…and I sink into sleep. 

~*~

Birds are chirping into my window. Where am I? my groggy mind wonders. I start to sit up.   
_AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!_   
Forget that. My entire right side feels like it's on fire. Wincing and breathing raggedly, I lie back down again, forcing myself to be content with staring at the ceiling. Slowly my breathing regulates again.   
_Wait a minute,_ I realize after a moment. _I hear something else._ I hold my breath, just for a moment, but the sound of breathing continues. _What's going on? Who else is in here?_ Ever so slowly, I turn my head as far to the left as I dare. Nothing. Even more slowly, I raise myself up and turn over so that I'm lying on my stomach. Suddenly I can see a streak of pale golden hair…   
_Juuhachi?!_

~*~

My face feels warm. _What happened? Where am I?_ At the moment, I don't care. I guess the warm feeling on my face is sunlight. _Hold on. There wasn't a window where I fell asleep last night._ My survival instincts kick in, and I sit up abruptly, looking around. I see a plain room with only a bed, a chair, a table, and a window. Slowly, the memory of running down the halls of Buruma's residence comes back to me. I remember collapsing in a chair, and the sound of breathing…_Wait. I hear breathing now. It's not mine. Who else is in here?_   
I straighten with a start. _How could you let yourself be caught unawares like that?!_ an inner voice scolds, but I ignore it. Looking around, I see the chair, the table, the bed, the person in the bed, the window…the person in the bed?! I do a double-take and cast my gaze back on the bed. Kuririn is looking up at me. As if he has just realized that he is staring, he averts his gaze abruptly, blushing. I can feel my face flush red as I too look away, but why? He clears his throat, and the sound almost seems to echo in the suddenly silent room.   
"J-Juuhachigou?"   
I can think of a million and one sarcastic, cold comments I could make right now, but the side of me that encourages me to make them feels far away and distant. I open my mouth to speak, but no words come out. My subconscious berates me -What's wrong with you?! - but it seems to be just a faint whisper instead of its usual raucous shriek. I look up slowly, almost shyly. Then suddenly our eyes meet, and I don't know what happens, but all of my thoughts cease and time seems to stop. Neither of us says a word, unable to break the silence that has fallen over us.   
As I stare into his deep black eyes, something surfaces within me.... 

()o()o()o()o()o()

_Someone is lying on a bed in a dark room. There was a child amongst many large forms standing nearby, and she is barely able to see the top of their shadowy forms. Another child about her height is standing next to her. A name comes to mind: Ankoku. Something tells her that as long as he is near, everything will be all right._   
_ "I'm sorry. She's gone." Thus speaks one of the tallest of the figures, the one who smells of strange chemicals._   
_ "But...but..." This is one of middle height, a man._   
_ "There's nothing more I can do. I will leave now, to arrange for her burial." The slam of the door is loud and unceremonious, and nearly echoes in the quiet room._   
_ "No!! No, not Kasai!!" the shortest one, a woman, sobs. She raises her head and looks at the two children, her eyes wild with grief. She points at them. "It's their fault!! Those children!! They killed Kasai!!"_   
_ "Ankoku..." the girl whispers, "Sayo-san...is she all right?"_   
_ He squeezes her hand reassuringly. Even though he is younger, he's more mature than the girl. He acts as if he's her guardian._   
_ "Wh-what are you saying, Sayo? They're just children! How could they have killed Kasai, their own mother?!"_   
_ "No one knows who their father was!! Kasai-chan nearly died in childbirth with the damned whelps because she wasn't expecting them both!! And now she dies with hardly any notice!!! They're demons, bastard demon-spawn!! They killed Kasai!!"_   
_ "It is true that no one knows who their sire was..." another man muses._   
_ "And Kasai had been having trouble ever since she had them."_   
_ "Her illness and death were sudden. For all we know, Sayo could be right."_   
_ "Maybe they are really demon-children."_   
_ "What would happen if they were? They could kill us all."_   
_ "Just like Kasai."_   
_ "But what if they aren't?"_   
_ "Would you rather be safe or sorry? They're so young, yet they might have killed already. There's no chance of teaching them otherwise. We should leave them in the forest nearby. If they really are, then we'll all be safe. If they aren't..."_   
_ "Then the gods'll save them. That's the way it works in legends."_   
_ "Then it's decided? We'll dispose of them?"_   
_ "Hai."_   
_ "Ankoku..." She's started to get nervous._   
_ He squeezes her hand again. "Don't worry, Kirei, I'll always protect you."_   
_ Someone from the group steps forward. It's Hanae, a middle-aged woman. "Hanae-san, what's going on?" the girl asks her._   
_ She almost smiles. It looks like she might cry. "I'm so sorry, little ones. But this is for the best." Her hand comes forward in an impossibly fast motion, and then everything goes black._

_***_

_ "...rei....kirei....Kirei!!"_   
_ The young girl can hear Ankoku's voice calling her as if from afar. "Kirei! You've got to wake up!!"_   
_ "Ankoku...?" she mumbles, while opening her eyes and trying to make the world stop spinning around._   
_ "Kirei!" She's never heard Ankoku sound so relieved. "You have to get up now. We can't stay here."_   
_ "Why not?"_   
_ "It's dangerous here. The forest isn't safe."_   
_ "I want 'Kaasan to come get us. Where's 'Kaasan?"_   
_ Ankoku looks away. "Kirei...you don't understand, do you? 'Kaasan's dead. She can't come get us anymore."_   
_ "B-but....'Kaasan can't go...not without us."_   
_ "She can. She just did." Ankoku still wouldn't look at Kirei._   
_ Raindrops start falling from the sky, ice-cold and wet. "Ankoku...look at me, please!" I cry, starting to panic. "Ankokuuu....." She can feel tears starting to fall down her face. "Don't leave me too...!!! Ankoookkkuuu!!!" The rain is getting heavier now, but she doesn't care. She falls to her knees as her face is soaked by rain and tears._   
_ His head snaps up. "Kirei..." He kneels next to her and puts his arms around her. "I'm sorry, Kirei, I'm sorry. I'm hurting too, and I'm trying to deal with it. I'm sorry. I won't ever leave you, I promise, Kirei."_   
_ "Ankoku?" she asks, wiping her tears away._   
_ "What?" He stops hugging her and looks at her._   
_ "What were Sayo-san and the others saying about us and 'Kaasan?"_   
_ He sucks in a breath. "They...they were saying that we killed 'Kaasan. That we were demons, and that we were trying to kill her since we were born."_   
_ She stares at him for a moment, not understanding. "B-b-but...Ankoku...we didn't. We didn't kill 'Kaasan, we didn't." The tears come back. "No, it's not my fault, I swear! I didn't do it! It's not my fault…!" She throws herself into his arms again, sobbing uncontrollably. "It's not my fault...."_   
_ "I know, Kirei, I know. They're wrong, all of them. They had no right to do this to us. They're the ones who killed 'Kaasan, not us." His voice grows angry, and he squeezes her more tightly. "One day...I'll go back and I'll show them...I'll make them see that they were wrong!! We both will!!"_   
_ "Excuse me..." This is a new voice. The two children turn around immediately. The speaker is tall and a man, but they can't tell much else._   
_ "What is it?!" Ankoku snaps. It's unsure why he's being so harsh._   
_ "I think I can help you." Lightning streaks through the sky, and the girl can see he's grinning, but not in a nice way._   
_ "Ankoku?" she whispers._   
_ "What do you mean, 'help'?"_   
_ "I can...make you stronger."_   
_ "Can you?" Ankoku's voice has lost its edge now._   
_ "Ankoku!" she cries, but he isn't listening anymore._   
_ "Yes, I can. I can make you strong enough to show everyone how they were wrong."_   
_ "What about Kirei?"_   
_ "The girl? I can make her stronger if you want, or I can protect her."_   
_ "What do I have to do for you?"_   
_ She can tell from the man's tone of voice that he's grinning again. "You just have to come with me." He extends his hand. "Is it a deal?"_   
_ "Ankoku, I don't know..."_   
_ He doesn't seem to hear her. He extends his own small hand as if in a dream._   
_ "Ankoku..."_   
_ Their hands meet and shake._   
_ "Yes. It's a deal."_   
_ "Ankoku!!!"_

()o()o()o()o()o()

"Ankoku!!!!" I scream as I sit up straight all at once, breathing heavily. In the corner of my mind I notice that I am now sitting in a bed. I draw my knees up to my chest and rest my head on them, closing my eyes and trying to calm down. My cheeks are wet, I realize with a start. I lift my head up and start to wipe my eyes.   
"Do you, um, want a handkerchief?"   
I whip my head around. Who is that?! I'm still on edge from the dream, I guess.   
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you." It's Kuririn. He is sitting on the chair next to the bed I was lying on. I notice in the corner of my mind that his feet can't touch the floor.   
"Wh-what are you doing here?!" I demand roughly. _I sound like that boy, Ankoku,_ I notice, a little shakily.   
"I-I was worried about you. You just collapsed all of a sudden on the floor. I moved you to the bed so that you would have a better place to be. You were breathing really shallowly. I was going to go get Buruma, but I couldn't just leave you here alone. So I stayed." He casts his gaze to the floor. "I didn't think you'd mind that much. I'm sorry."   
"You just surprised me. That's all. You don't scare me." I retaliate, feeling the need to put myself in control of the situation again.   
He looks surprised. "I never thought I did. Scare you, that is. I thought you just saw me as...as one of the guys in the background. Someone who wasn't worth noticing, someone unobtrusive and just sort of there."   
"If you were actually unobtrusive, then I wouldn't have a problem with you!" I snap.   
He blinks. "I'm sorry," he says quietly, "but I can't just sit by silently when I think you're in pain."   
"Why not? Everyone else seems to be able to." I reply with a hint of spite.   
"..." He looks away again. "I guess the others are still wary of you. But...I..."   
"You aren't scared of me? Oh, how brave." Sarcasm runs rampant in my voice.   
"I-I don't know. I just...I know you don't need anyone to protect you. But still...I want to...I want to...I don't know how to say this. If you ever needed someone to...to help you, or to run to, or just to watch over you....I want to be that person more than anything in the world." he finishes quietly. Slowly, as if he is afraid, he raises his head to look at me.   
There are no sounds for a moment. Once again, it is as if time has stopped. What is Kuririn -this human- saying?! I don't understand this...after all the times I've scorned him, all the things I've put him through, he says that he wants to protect me?? What is he thinking?! And, even stranger, what am _I_ thinking?! 

~*~

Well, there it is. I've laid all my proverbial cards on the table. This is the moment where I see if all my hopes were in vain. I close my eyes in a flitting moment of hopeful prayer. _Please let her see...let her see that all I want is to keep her from harm..._   
A short, contemptful laugh escapes from her throat suddenly. "You? Protect me? Hah!! You're weak and pitiful compared to me. You'd only be in my way. To top it off, you're short and bald!! What kind of protection would you be?!"   
I can feel my shoulders slump instinctively. _She didn't understand, _I think unhappily. _Or maybe she did, and she just doesn't-_ I sigh depressedly at this new, unfinished thought. _No._ I straighten. This is a new inner voice. _You can't give up now. Have a spine for once, and stand up for yourself. Show her what you're willing to do for her._ I blink surprisedly. _What I'm willing to do for her? I'm willing to change. I can't change my height, and training up to her level and growing my hair would take years- wait a minute._ I suddenly have an idea.   
I clear my throat. "Wait. Hear me out. Nothing's going to change the fact that I'm short. However, you'll see about the baldness and the strength." I get up to leave, and half bow respectfully. "I'll see you in a few days, Juuhachi. Ja ne." With that, I walk out the door and go to say goodbye to Buruma. I have a trip to make. 

~*~

I can't help but stare after him blankly as he leaves. I flop backwards on the bed and close my eyes, helpless against the storm of questions suddenly assaulting me. _What is he thinking?! What does he mean? Why can't he just leave me alone? But do I really want to be left alone? Haven't I been left alone long enough?_ My eyes fly open. Where did those last questions come from? I realize that none of these inquiries will be answered while I remain here. Slowly, in case the movement triggers another fainting spell, I get off of the bed. My head spinning with confusion, I move to the window and stare blankly at the outside world.   
_Where do I go from here?_

~*~

I do believe I could be crazy. I just told off a cyborg that could kill me with one blow. Not just any cyborg, either- the one I love. Oh, yes, I definitely qualify as crazy.   
I can't help the slightly stupid grin that crosses my face as I skim across the clouds. _Why didn't I think of this before?_ It's so simple now that I think about it.   
Looking at my surroundings, I smile a little bit wider and glide down to land on what looks like a half-sphere with a temple on top. A small, green creature comes out to greet me.   
"Ohayou, Kuririn!" he shouts.   
"Ohayou gozaimasu, Dende," I call back to him as my feet brush the floor. "I have a favor to ask you."   
"Ask away," he responds, smiling a benevolent smile fitting of the Kami.   
"May I use the Room of Spirit and Time?" 

~*~

I hate this. I don't know what to do. Turning away from the window, I start to pace. What is going on? I think I stopped understanding a long time ago.   
_You're so stupid,_ my mind taunts me. W_orking yourself up over a flawed human. What did I tell you? You're different from them. No human will ever care for you._   
My eyes darken. These thoughts are all too familiar. _That's right. I'm not one of them._   
_"I know you don't need anyone to protect you. But still...I want to...I want to...I don't know how to say this. If you ever needed someone to...to help you, or to run to, or just to watch over you....I want to be that person more than anything in the world."_   
I blink. _Why did he say that? What does he want from me? If no human will ever care for me..._   
_ Then why does he want to protect me?_

~*~

"You want to WHAT?!?!"   
I can't help but wince. I had no idea that such a small kami could make such a large noise.   
"Shh, calm down, Dende," I try to soothe him. "I just want to use the Room of Spirit and Time. That's all."   
"That's all?! Kuririn, listen, you're a nice guy. I like you. I like everyone on Chikyuu. But this is pushing it a bit. I mean, the Room of Spirit and Time has only been used a few times before. It's a last resort! What makes you so sure you need it right now?"   
I'm a bit thrown off by this one. _What do I tell him? Somehow, I don't think 'I need to be stronger to impress my girlfriend' is going to cut it here. Girlfriend...heh. I only wish. But maybe..._ I can feel my face growing a bit red at the prospect. I shake my head rapidly. _Calm down. What's a good excuse? Think, Kuririn, think!!_   
"Um, well, you see," I start, stalling for time, "I've noticed that the other fighters are training more often now. And you probably know that my power level's significantly lower than theirs. So I think that I'd be in a better position if a new enemy comes along if you let me get away with a little extra training time." I tell him with an innocent "You-can-believe-me-I'm-telling-the-truth" look.   
Dende is looking at me with an odd, unreadable expression on his face.   
_Please, Kami, let me do this just once,_ I pray before I remember that Kami is the one that I'm trying to convince. _Eep! What if he can hear me?_ I immediately stop praying.   
The young Namek's facial expression changes to one of fondness. "All right," he sighs with the air of a parent looking after a small child. "I'll have Mr. Popo help you get settled in."   
A giddy grin crosses my face. "Domo arigato!!" I bow as low as I can.   
"Go on, before I change my mind," he urges.   
"Hai!" I run off to meet up with the small African man. _This is it! Juuhachi...I'll be ready soon!_

~*~

My head is spinning again. Nothing makes sense anymore. Nothing has ever since I set foot in this accursed place to talk to Juuroku. My hand slides through my hair in a confused motion. _What do I do now? I don't like this. Ever since I came here, all I've done is question myself. I was doing just fine until I came here..._   
_Then just leave._   
My head snaps up at this sudden revelation. _Idiot, idiot, idiot! Why didn't you think of it sooner? Why didn't you leave before?_   
The thought is strange and light compared to the heavy, deep worries I have had the entire evening. I turn around again to face the window. The sky is a pale cornflower, and the sun is brightly shining. It seems as if a decade has passed in the course of the night. Or, perhaps, no time has passed at all, and I've been dreaming for so long...   
_ Listen to yourself. What kind of garbage are you spouting? One night here and suddenly you're a poet. Get out of here before you get even more confused. Get out!_   
"Get out." I try the words out on my lips. My own voice sounds ragged and torn, and the phrase is alien. But now what choice do I have? I can't stay here. Not anymore.   
So, without really thinking about it, I open the window and fly out, leaving the night behind. 

~*~

"...and so, when you come out, a year will have passed to you. However, only a day will have actually gone by in the real world." Mr. Popo finishes.   
I nod vigorously. I know some of what he's told me already from Buruma and Gohan, and I have other things to be worried about, so my mind really isn't on the information he's giving me.   
He narrows his eyes. "Are you quite sure you're listening?"   
"Hai, hai!" I assure him hastily.   
The short man eyes me suspiciously before giving up. "All right, just step inside here," he says, and opens a huge, ornate stone door in front of us. A blinding white light beams out of it, and I have to shade my eyes.   
"Good luck," Mr. Popo tells me solemnly.   
Then, I step inside. 

~*~   
End Part Two

Author's Notes: Geh. Angst, anyone? ^^;; Not many notes for this chapter....whether Dende actually heard Kuririn's prayer is up in the air, though. ^.~ The last 16 pages of this story took place on the same day. O.o   
Juuhachi: You're making us into insomniacs.   
....I'm tired. -_-;;   
Kuririn: If you're tired, why don't you let us sleep?   
....I'm tired.   
Juuhachi: ?? *pokes her with a stick*   
....I'm tired.   
Kuririn: Right....umm....anyway, the official song for this chapter is "Crawling in the Dark" by Hoobastank. As always, R&R! (And tell her to let us sleep sometime!) 


End file.
